The High-Tech Facial You Need to Know About

It’s a cold and wet Friday afternoon as I head into the cocooning warmth of City Retreat’s Jesmond salon to be greeted like a long-lost friend. It’s a lovely way to start a thoroughly relaxing experience at this well-thought-of beauty salon which now boasts several other outposts.

I’m here for an Elemis Biotec facial, but the exact nature of the full treatment remains a surprise until my therapist has had a chance to assess what my (ageing) skin might need. There’s a choice of quite a few, including the Pro-Glow Renew+ which targets sluggish skin with deep cleansing and ultrasonic peeling, an anti-pigment Pro-Glow Resurface+ facial which is great for anyone wanting a brightening treatment to even out skin tone, a Biotec Sensitive Skin Soother to calm and nourish even the most sensitive of skin, and a Pro-Glow Smooth+ with red and blue light therapy to reduce lines and wrinkles. But mine tuns out to be the Pro Glow Genius+, the ultimate 75 minute age-defying treatment which uses Biotec and Ultra Smart technology and promises to leave my skin smoother, more sculpted and with maximum hydration.

The futuristic machine beside the bed can do a variety of different things depending on your skin’s needs. A carefully-designed fusion of actives and line-reducing technology means I am treated to a series of high-tech therapies including an ultrasonic peel (the spatula vibrates 27,000 times per second to exfoliate and draw out impurities), oxygen infusion (pressurised oxygen helps blast the active ingredients deeper into my skin) and microcurrent to stimulate and help firm, whilst the galvanic rejuvenating current uses positive and negative charges to cleanse, energise and restore moisture for instantly clearer, brighter and plumper looking skin. Finally, LED light therapy soothes skin and tackles any inflammation (blue light) and stimulates collagen production (red light).